The sole holdout juror in Lori Vallow Daybell’s murder trial revealed the chilling evidence that “disgusted” him in court — as he described the experience as putting a “face to evil.”
Vallow Daybell, 49, was convicted last week of multiple counts of murder and conspiracy tied to the deaths of her daughter Tylee Ryan, 16, son Joshua “J.J.” Vallow, 7, and her third husband Chad Daybell’s late wife, Tammy.
In an interview with Good Morning America that aired Wednesday, juror Saul Hernandez said he was initially unconvinced that the Idaho prosecutors had proven Vallow Daybell’s guilt.
But just a few hours into deliberations, he was swayed by gruesome evidence that made it “harder to look at” the mom.
“Growing up, you talk about good and bad, god and evil. And I think for the first time in my life, I put a face to evil,” Hernandez said.
The Juror recalled how he was “disgusted” by photos of the couple happily dancing at their beach wedding in Hawaii in early Nov. 2019, just a few weeks after Tammy Daybell mysteriously died.
Hernandez said he “didn’t want to look at” the chilling pictures.
The loved-up snaps show Vallow Daybell and Chad grinning and holding hands with leis around their necks.
Investigators believe that Tylee and J.J. – who were last seen in September 2019 – were also dead by this point and had been buried in shallow graves on Chad’s Salem property, where they were found several months later.
“I just couldn’t believe how someone can be that happy when your kids are in the ground. And the person that was key in all of this is sitting across from you, smiling at you and dancing with you on the beach,” Hernandez said of the callous pair.
Throughout the proceedings, the mom’s defense team attempted to portray her as a loving and devout mother who was manipulated by Chad, a noted doomsday author.
Ultimately, however, Hernandez said he bought the prosecution’s argument that Vallow Daybell was a wannabe cultist driven by “money, power, and sex” to kill her children and conspire to help Chad murder Tammy, as well.
Following seven hours of deliberation, Vallow Daybell was found guilty by the jury.
“They wanted to believe something that only applied and benefited them, only applied and benefited those people they liked, their circle that they liked and they wanted to be around,” Hernandez said of the couple’s pseudo-religious fantasies.
He noted that he believes Vallow Daybell’s beliefs – which included predictions of Jesus Christ’s second coming in 2020 – started as “curiosity” but became more intense “once Chad came into the picture.”
“I don’t think, as a human being, you are ever really prepared to experience this,” Hernandez said of his time on the high-profile case.
Vallow Daybell now faces a maximum sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.
The killer mom barely suppressed a smug grin in her new mugshot from Madison County Jail, where she was booked after the verdict.
Meanwhile, Chad Daybell is set to be tried on a similar slew of charges at a later date.
In a statement following Vallow Daybell’s conviction, the Madison and Fremont County prosecutors said they were still “committed to pursuing justice” for the three victims.